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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. face — to point toward
  3. file — a document
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. field — farmland
  6. kick — in football
  7. suit — in cards
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. march — the month
  10. file — a tool
  11. face — to confront
  12. file — a line of people
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. suit — clothes
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. current — happening now
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rush — hurry
  19. field — for sport
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. suit — to fit
  23. current — electric
  24. current — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com